


The Boy With Blue Eyes

by mysticalflute



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Gen, Implied/Referenced Suicide, it's gozaburo so if you know ygo you know what it is
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-14 17:41:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29422512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mysticalflute/pseuds/mysticalflute
Summary: The boy is dangerous, his mind warned him as they set up the board and began to play.“Good,” Gozaburo thought. “I like danger.”When the young orphan with blue eyes challenges Gozaburo Kaiba to a chess match, he has no idea it will turn out to be the greatest mistake of his life.
Relationships: Kaiba Gozaburo & Kaiba Seto
Kudos: 7





	The Boy With Blue Eyes

It was lonely at the top.

Gozaburo Kaiba had learned that lesson years ago, after he’d clawed his way to the peak of his business empire, shaking down anyone who dared to stand in his path. But of course, with that came only a very particular, close group of people that he could trust, humorously called The Big Five, so he was told.

They didn’t know how little they actually _mattered_ in the grand scheme of things. But, unfortunately, Gozaburo was bound by the limitations of being a human, and thus, did need help when it came to running his company.

Still, armed with only Noah, it was lonely at the top of the world.

Being the owner of a company that specialized in war meant a lot of things, in terms of public relations. That wasn’t something Gozaburo wanted to think about - it was war, after all, he wasn’t making games or something ludicrous like that - but it was something his public relations manager was constantly juggling, and thus, Gozaburo found himself doing charity work.

If, for nothing else, to keep the woman from badgering him every ten minutes.

That day had started like any other. He was brought to a shabby, run-down, pathetic looking orphanage, to see the equally shabby, run-down and pathetic children, and to pass out gifts to them that had been donated by the KC staff. Then he was supposed to read some pre-written note about supporting those less fortunate, take a few photos with the orphanage staff, and then meet with Nezbitt at two-thirty.

In and out, no issue.

Until a boy stopped him in his tracks.

“I challenge you to a chess match, Mr. Kaiba.”

The boy’s tone was firm, his posture straight, fists clenched tight, and he locked eyes with Gozaburo - something very few _adults_ ever had the courage to do.

It would have been so easy to brush him off. This was a _child_ , challenging a multi-time international champion to a match. 

And after all, being considered afraid of playing chess with a child was perhaps the _least_ intimidating thing he would be called all year.

It _should_ have been easy to brush him aside like the ant he was.

But he didn’t. The stakes were confirmed (the thought of having to adopt the two of them was utterly laughable, but he amused the boy by agreeing), and Gozaburo followed the boy into the small playroom.

_The boy is_ **_dangerous_ **, his mind warned him as they set up the board and began to play.

_“Good,”_ Gozaburo thought. _“I_ **_like_ ** _danger.”_ Thrived on it, really, running a company that specialized in war technology meant playing dangerous games, going to dangerous places. Meeting dangerous people - 

“Checkmate.”

To his bewilderment, the boy won.

Gozaburo sat in the too-small chair utterly baffled as he stared down at the board, trying to find something, anything that made sense again. But there would have been no move left for him to take. No way for him to get by the blockade the boy had set up.

The boy - Seto - had won, fair and square. If he were an even worse man, Gozaburo would pick up and leave. This was, again, a child that held no power in the world. But then Gozaburo stopped and realized… there might be an opportunity here.

He had a son already. Technically he didn’t need two more. But Noah was… well, he was easily distracted. He seemed to have his head in the clouds, and though his genius was unparalleled among his peers, Gozaburo still had concerns about whether or not he would be fit to run the company.

Seto was also a genius, or so the staff at the orphanage said. He was fiery, determined, and desperate enough to beat him at chess.

Yes, Gozaburo thought, this would work out just fine.

And then, as soon as his plan came together, it cracked apart. First with Noah’s death, and then with Gozaburo’s realization that Noah’s mind wouldn’t be able to control the company from the virtual world he’d designed.

(And besides, Noah had gotten so advanced, Gozaburo was slightly concerned that Noah could remove him from power before Gozaburo was ready to retire)

Seto, on the other hand, seemed to have a hunger in him. A desire to succeed, and Gozaburo was more than happy to mold him into the heir he needed.

Mokuba seemed weak, but, Gozaburo supposed should another accident happen with Seto, he too could be molded into what KaibaCorp would need in the future.

Gozaburo watched Seto with interest. Watched as he worked himself to the bone night after night, watched those blue eyes flicker with concealed rage as Gozaburo removed the toys and games from his life - watched as they hardened and cooled much like Noah’s had been.

Only Seto didn’t allow himself to be distracted by violins or horses.

Then came the true test: his birthday. A return on investment was all Gozaburo asked for.

Seto passed with flying colors, and quicker than Gozaburo had dared to give him credit for.

That should have been the warning sign that something was amiss, because there shouldn’t have been any way that Seto could do it so quickly, but Gozaburo ignored the twist of his gut whenever he thought about it.

The boys had splintered apart, and Mokuba had started spending more time with him, talking to him about his school and his art classes. Gozaburo listened with little interest, until he heard that Seto and The Big Five had plans to overthrow him.

Well, _that_ certainly wouldn’t do.

So he changed his strategy, giving Mokuba more sympathy, more toys or art supplies - whatever the young boy wanted. After all, his 2% stake in the company would swing the pendulum either way, and if things remained icy between the brothers, well, Gozaburo was confident he knew which way it would finally swing.

When he felt confident Mokuba was on his side, he called Seto and The Big Five into his office, and let the chips fall.

The Big Five would all be fired, would have their reputations tarnished as traitors to any company that would dare look their way. Seto would be sent back to the orphanage, and Gozaburo would never again have to hear pleas for gaming technology.

It would be easy. It would be swift. It would - 

Not happen.

Gozaburo sat in utter bewilderment as Mokuba entered the room, declaring he was giving his 2% stock to Seto, tipping the scales in _Seto’s_ favor.

This couldn’t be. It _couldn’t_ be!

He stared, gaping in horror at his adoptive son, who was looking at him with hatred even he never knew existed, blue eyes cold as sapphires.

“Checkmate, _Father_.” The words were spat, and Gozaburo snapped, laughing hysterically as he rose from his chair and sauntered toward the window, where the sun was shining through.

“Checkmate indeed, Seto. Well done. I just hope you remember all those lessons I taught you as the company grows.”

He felt the glass give way, and he closed his eyes as he fell.

It was lonely at the top.

Seto would learn that, eventually.


End file.
